


Figure It's the Love That Keeps You Warm

by chocobo_lolz



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Cuddling, Cute, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, maybe a little ooc idk anymore, srsly all this is is cuddling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-16
Updated: 2017-02-16
Packaged: 2018-09-25 00:34:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9794495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chocobo_lolz/pseuds/chocobo_lolz
Summary: No one else Rafael's ever met has managed to simultaneously be this forward while also leaving no true indication towards their motive or intentions.  Because wrangling one’s way into someone else’s kitchen and cooking a romantic dinner for two would, no doubt, be an obvious sign of interest if anyone other than Sonny Carisi were to do it.





	

Rafael doesn’t understand exactly how he got here, but he isn’t complaining. Sonny Carisi has a way of infiltrating his life that Rafael finds outright confusing. 

No one else he’s ever met has managed to simultaneously be this forward while also leaving no true indication towards their motive or intentions. Because wrangling one’s way into someone else’s kitchen and cooking a romantic dinner for two would, no doubt, be an obvious sign of interest if anyone other than Carisi were to do it.

But Carisi is just that type of person, eager and confident. He likes to make connections, to share what he loves with those around him, he likes to soak in the knowledge others have to impart on him. That’s just how he is, it doesn’t mean anything. So how is Rafael supposed to interpret this little get together? 

He wouldn’t even question whether or not this was platonic if it weren’t for the entirely ambiguous crush Carisi has had on Rafael for the past two years. Does Carisi want to be _like_ him or to be _with_ him? It’s a question Rafael has been asking himself for a long time, and the earlier events of the night have done nothing to shed any light on the situation. 

But now though, the detective’s side is pressed firmly against his own while they watch a DVD on his love seat. Carisi could have moved a pillow for more space if he didn’t want to be this close to Rafael, and he has rested his head, briefly, on Rafael’s shoulder a total of three times so far. The movie is barely 10 minutes in.

At the very least Carisi has to know that this means something for Rafael. Because this may be normal for the friendly detective, but for someone as guarded as Rafael how could it be? He doesn’t waste his time with people he doesn’t care for, and he does _not_ snuggle up to grown men who are just colleagues. But despite how obvious that seems to him, Rafael realizes that maybe he’s being a little ambiguous himself. Sure he’s going along with everything happily and without complaint, which is a small miracle, but he isn’t exactly _initiating_ anything either.

So when Carisi rests his head against Rafael’s shoulder again, playing it off as a teasing gesture as he makes fun of the film’s inaccurate legal procedure, Rafael doesn’t let himself over think this time. He moves his arm from where it’s awkwardly trapped between their sides and rests it behind Carisi’s shoulders. When Carisi doesn’t immediately move his head away, allowing it to rest in the crook of Rafael’s arm, cheek pressed lightly to the top of his pectoral, Rafael shifts his hand downwards and places it, comfortably, on Carisi’s shoulder.

And that’s it. 

Rafael smiles to himself as he tries to focus back on the film, but finds himself distracted. The solid weight of Carisi’s upper body feels so right against him. There’s a comfortable warmth radiating between them and he can smell the masculine cleanness of the detective’s shampoo. Excitement --towards the future and over the idea that he could have more of this--wells up inside him.

~*~

Mid-film Carisi starts shifting, just subtly, he's almost squirming, and Rafael realizes the man is uncomfortable. Not just that, he’s uncomfortable _but_ he doesn’t want to move away. Rafael pauses the movie, “I need to move” he says even though he could have stayed like that forever, and tries not to be delighted at the disappointment written all over Carisi’s face. Emboldened, he shifts to lean against the arm of the sofa and maneuvers Carisi along with him. 

He moves so they are half-lying down, with Carisi partly on top of him. There’s a sort of tension between them, one that stems from uncertainty, but there’s promise in it. It’s overwhelming and exciting. Carisi isn’t saying a word and Rafael can feel the younger man’s heart beating fast against his chest, but after a moment, he snakes his arm around Rafael’s waist in a cuddly embrace and relaxes. 

“Are you comfortable?” Rafael asks, and he is surprised by the softness in his voice.

“Yeah.” Carisi says, nodding against Rafael’s chest. His hair is getting messed up from moving around so much and Rafael reaches to smooth it down. The gesture has the detective looking up at him with hopeful shyness. He meant to un-pause the DVD after they settled, to just revel in the satisfaction of having Carisi curled up against him. But this look, it takes Rafael’s breath away. 

He has to lean down and kiss him. 

Carisi meets him halfway with a whimper. His knee digs painfully into Rafael’s leg as he seeks leverage to get closer, but Rafael doesn’t dare stop to complain about it. They press their lips together in innocent dry kisses, over and over. It’s pleasant and sweet and only meant to last a few seconds. So each time Rafael tells himself they’ll stop, that he’ll break away. He fails to follow through though, until he’s running his tongue along the seam of Carisi’s lips and Carisi opens up to let him in.

Rafael cranes his neck to get closer and their perfect movie position is ruined, but neither care because their bodies are still pressed warmly together. The kiss is slow and languid. The hot press of their mouths could easily turn dirty, but they’re both holding back, just enjoying the slow dance of their tongues. Rafael squeezes Carisi closer against him and can feel a smile against his mouth. The whole thing is entirely too sweet and Rafael feels hopeless affection bubble within him.

“Sonny” he says, breaking away, just to say it.

Carisi’s smiles and whispers back “Rafi,” completely confident in the nickname. It startles a laugh out of Rafael. 

He teases, affectionately, “Only you would skip straight to a name no one but my mother still calls me.” 

Carisi seems so pleased with the response that Rafael realizes he may not have been very nice tonight. …He wasn’t mean, of course not, (ok maybe he was a little sarcastic, but Carisi knows by now not to take it the wrong way), but the whole question of whether or not this was a date probably distracted him from being as warm towards Carisi as he’d like to be in the future.

He supposes there’s time to amend that, “You can call me Rafi, because you’re you,” he says sweetly, and then, because that felt like a little too much, he adds sternly “but the rest of SVU is where I draw the line, so don’t spread it around.” And to his surprise Carisi starts cracking up. “What?”

Carisi laughs, removing his hand from Rafael’s stomach to gesture enthusiastically, “I’m just imagining a judge or someone calling you Rafi while you try to act professional and pretend not to be annoyed.” 

It’s amusing, sure, and Rafael smiles at the idea of it. But Carisi finds it far funnier, he buries his face against Rafael’s neck to suppress his laughter. The sensation of his shaking body above him and the warm breath against his bare neck is …more than nice, and Rafael has to sit up and push Carisi away so he doesn’t try to move too fast. 

“What? No, don’t be that way, I’m sorry, it’s just hilarious.” 

Rafael kisses him to reassure him and to shut him up. …And maybe a little bit because he can’t help it. 

Now that they’ve actually spoken to each other since the physical affection started, Carisi is a little more confident. He happily scoots his way back into Rafael’s personal space and doesn’t hesitate to cop a bit of a feel. Rafael is stunned at how good it feels just to have Carisi’s hand brush up from his arm to his hair and then, eventually, down the front of his chest. The gentle touch spreads a pleasant tingle through his body, and although it is arousing just to be touched by this man, it mostly just feels comforting. 

Rafael reciprocates by putting a hand in Carisi’s hair and gently brushing his thumb against the nape of his neck. In response Carisi groans against his lips, like he can’t even help it, and holds Rafael close for a long press of lips before reluctantly pulling away.

It seems Rafael isn’t the only one who is afraid of getting too carried away tonight. 

“We should finish the movie,” Carisi says. It’s nearly a whisper and their faces are still only centimeters away. 

Rafael presses one last chaste kiss to Carisi’s lips and then smoothly leans back against the arm of the loveseat, keeping his body language open. Carisi fits himself between Rafael’s legs, back pressed against the lawyer’s chest, and leans his head back, close enough so Rafael can rest his chin over his scalp. They resume the DVD and Rafael loops his arms possessively around Carisi and smiles to himself when the man instinctively reaches his own hands up to caress Rafael’s forearms. 

The rest of the night is quiet and pleasant and by the time Rafael has walked Carisi out to his car they’ve made plans for dinner on Friday. This time, they both know it’s a date.

**Author's Note:**

> I might dislike the title? But it is what it is, it's from 'Love You Inside Out' by the Bee Gees.  
> Also, I'm honored to post this fic on Ice's birthday, even though Fin isn't even in this.


End file.
